Hyundai IONIQ 5 vs Nissan ARIYA

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 costs £3,695 more than the Nissan ARIYA. For that premium it adds 130 kW faster peak rapid charging and 54 litres more boot space. The Nissan ARIYA is not just cheaper - it also offers 35 kW more power and a 1.0s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan ARIYA is £3,695 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Nissan ARIYA comes out roughly £3,655 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 228 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 209 miles for the Nissan ARIYA - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 goes roughly 19 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 18 minutes in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 30 in the Nissan ARIYA, so the Hyundai IONIQ 5 loses less time at each stop. That makes the Hyundai IONIQ 5 the stronger long-distance car.

The Nissan ARIYA is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 40 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 550 mm of total clearance for the Nissan ARIYA and about 510 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. The Nissan ARIYA also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 89% battery health for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 84% for the Nissan ARIYA. That gives the Hyundai IONIQ 5 a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation.